The U.S. military has supplied about 10,000 M-16s to the Iraq Army. But officials acknowledged that the Iraqis have decided to maintain the AK-47 as the lead assault rifle.The Iraq Army has determined that the M-16 was more accurate than the Kalashnikov. But officials said the Army concluded that the AK-47 was more reliable in the searing Iraqi summers. U.S. Army advisers have completed a course on the M-16 assault rifle for Iraqi soldiers at Camp Taji. The two-week course, which took place in mid-June, was meant to help the Iraq Army introduce the M-16 and, in some units, replace the Soviet-origin AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle. "For their first time, they shot very well  even compared to some U.S. soldiers," Sgt. Kevin Averre, in charge of the training, said. Officials said the U.S. military has imposed restrictions on the use of the M-16 to the Iraq Army. They said the Iraqis were required to register each M-16 to ensure that they are not sold or given to Al Qaida or other insurgency groups.

The U.S. Army, amid an accelerated troop withdrawal, has maintained its assault rifle training course in Iraq.

"Many Iraqi soldiers on Camp Taji do not use M-16s, and as the weapons continue to arrive, U.S. units will remain actively engaged in the training of the Iraqi Army," the U.S. Army said on June 21

Officials said the U.S. military has imposed restrictions on the use of the M-16 to the Iraq Army. They said the Iraqis were required to register each M-16 to ensure that they are not sold or given to Al Qaida or other insurgency groups.

'Series' for people who don't know what a TOILET is, expecting them to maintain the finicky M-16 in tip-top shape is a bit of a stretch. They'd have to clean heir weapon more than they clean themselves.

Will someone please buy 'the military' a clue.

I prefer the AK myself, it's like Superman, indestructible. (impervious to the elements)

...Exactly!...I just finished reading Rory Stewart’s “The Places in Between” about his walk across Afganistan...those tribal people are so backward they wipe their ass with their hand...the M-16 is not a rifle for mud people.

I am recalling the first complaints about the M16 from our boys in Viet Nam - that is when they started to chrome the chambers. Why dont we have an american version of the FN?

Accurate and mud proof.

Reasonably accurate for a service rifle, but heavy, almost 12 pounds loaded. And though reasonably reliable in mud, not as happy with sandyb conditions, as the Israeli troops who used the things from the 1950s until the mid-1970s found out. They called besom the broom, and though the Israelis adopted the *sand cuts* on the bolt and bolt carrier as used by the British on their L1A1 version, there was a lot more sand in their area of operations than those sand cuts could digest.

I like the FAL, don't misunderstand me. But I'd far rather carry the Rhodesiam R1 version than the T48.

“
You’re all missing it. The Iraqis believe that Obama will cut and
run as soon as possible and there they’ll be standing there among a
thousand Muslim terrorist holding an American M-16.
“

I remember seeing a report (during “The Clinton Years”) about how
some M-16s issued to the Israeli Defense Forces ended up in the hands
of the Palestinian “freedom fighters”.
IIRC, the Israelis eventually found a way to convey booby-trapped
M-16s to the Palestinians.
E.g., gun blew up in their faces after a clip or so.

Later, I think I heard that Clinton had put plenty of M-16s into the
hands of the Palestians “police force” allied with Arafat/Al-Fatah.
Mad me ill to think of this.

The sand cuts were a Brit development, their improvement on the first batch of FAL test rifles they got from FN. All the *Commonwealth* rifles used by former British colonies/possessions had the sand cuts, including the Canadian C1 and C2, Indian Ishapore-built 1A and 1A1 rifles, the Australian Lithgow-produced L1A1 and L2A1, and British-produced L1A1s [Enfield and BSA, from about 1954 on] and most Israeli rifles- which were *metric* pattern, not *inch* or *Commonwealth.*

The Rhodesians used both L1A1 rifles sent their prior to their Unilateral Declaration of Independence, and after that, mostly metric pattern rifles, particularly South african R1/R2 versions- without sand cuts.

The Australian L1A1 SLRs [pronounced *slurs* by the Digger troopies] worked fine in mud. I wasn't around them anywhere operational where there was that much sand [there's plenty to be had out back of Alice around Pine Gap!] so I can't say how that might have worked out. But my Lithgow L1A1, now fitted with a DSA L1A1 lower receiver, works pretty well in the grit.

The trooper on the left is flagging his buddy. Are they Rhodesian? I dont recognize the camo pattern. regards,

Indeed. The camera angle makes it look like the R1 is pointed his way, but those lads were so scrupulous about muzzle discipline that I suspect that there's a bit of camera angle involved. Grey's Scouts could be a little more sporty to be around, as their horses didn't always cooperate, so usually carried their gats muzzle skyward when possible. And the lads in Armoured Cars could be a bit risky to be around.

The only AD I saw, which holed the borrowed VW Rabbit I was using, though not while I was in it, came from a .303 Browning MG on a RhAF base where an armourer had failed to clear a gun properly. He let the bolt go forward, with no belt in place but with one round in the feedway, and BANG!. Of course, if there's been a belt in, there would have been a great many bangs, those aircraft guns ran at around 20-25 rounds/second.

The green beanies mark the troopies around the Mog mortar carroer as Rhodesian Light Infantry, reckoned by many, including themselves, to be Rhodesia's Best.

I discovered the struggle for Rhodesia while doing internet research for a paper at command and staff ‘college’. The army struck me as both noble and brave, defending what they must have known was the end of their way of life.

Sad to see what has become of the country they and their ancestors built.

I discovered the struggle for Rhodesia while doing internet research for a paper at command and staff college. The army struck me as both noble and brave, defending what they must have known was the end of their way of life.

My involvement was just a bit more personal,m but you're spot-on about the nobility and courage of the troopies, at least that I saw displayed by the EM, most of the NCOs and junior officers. That can't be said for some of the more senior personnel unfortunately, the most notorious of whom was probably Slick Richie Stannard.

Sad to see what has become of the country they and their ancestors built.

True that, though of course it's not quite all over yet. But it's certainly been a hard couple of decades for those of the RAR.

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